Processing System For Small Substrates

ABSTRACT

A substrate processing system that is optimized for the production of smaller volumes of semiconductor components is disclosed. To minimize cost, the substrate processing system is designed to accommodate smaller substrates, such as substrates having a diameter of roughly one inch. Additionally, the components of the substrate processing system are designed to be interchangeable, thereby further reducing cost and complexity. In certain embodiments, the substrate processing system comprises a lower assembly, which may be used with one or more upper assemblies. The lower assembly is used to support the substrate and provide many of the fluid, electrical, and sensor connections, while the upper assemblies include the apparatus required to perform a certain fabrication function. For example, different upper assemblies may exist for deposition, etching, sputtering and ion implantation.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/325,224 filed Jan. 10, 2017, which is a 371 of PCT InternationalApplication No. PCT/US2015/049292 filed Sep. 10, 2015, which claimspriority of US. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/048,850,filed Sep. 11, 2014 and 62/180,832, filed Jun. 17, 2015, the disclosuresof which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a system for theprocessing of micro- and nanoscale devices using small substrates, suchas substrates with a characteristic dimension of 1-2″.

BACKGROUND

Semiconductor fabrication has continued to evolve following theprediction by Gordon Moore. Each year, the complexity of devices on asubstrate roughly doubles. To support this exponential increase indevice complexity, improvements are continuously being made tosemiconductor fabrication equipment.

As a result, this fabrication equipment continues to grow in complexity,which also leads to a corresponding increase in the cost of thisequipment. To justify the cost of the semiconductor fabricationequipment, equipment owners need to produce a large quantity of devicesper year. This implies that the semiconductor fabrication equipment isoften run continuously, 24 hours a day, and stopped only for repair orpreventative maintenance.

In addition, to increase the number of devices that can be produced, thesize of the unprocessed substrate, also referred to as a wafer, hasincreased in size. An increase in the size of the substrate, coupledwith a decrease in the size of each device, results in a cumulativeeffect, where the number of devices per substrate increasesdramatically.

While this approach leads to lower costs for semiconductor devices, suchas memory devices, central processing units (CPUs), and other highvolume components, there are some significant drawbacks.

One of the most obvious drawbacks of this trend is the negative impactthat is has on the production of lower volume components. For example,certain types of devices, such as microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)sensors, may be desirable, but their projected volume is typically lessthan that of, for example, memory devices.

As a result, it often becomes impractical for the designers of theselower volume components to purchase their own dedicated semiconductorfabrication equipment. Furthermore, reserving fabrication time at acontract-based semiconductor fabrication company (generally known as afoundry) may impractical, as the costs (both financial and temporal) ofthat fabrication time may be prohibitive. Furthermore, thesesemiconductor fabrication contract companies may be reluctant to produceseveral distinct low volume components as opposed to fewer, highervolume components.

Consequently, designers of low volume components, such as early-stagebusinesses or research facilities, are at a serious disadvantage.Therefore, a semiconductor fabrication system that is optimized forsmaller lot sizes would be highly desirable. Further, the ability tocreate such a semiconductor fabrication system at a reasonable costwould be very advantageous. Additionally, a small footprint may also bebeneficial.

SUMMARY

A substrate processing system that is optimized for the production ofsmaller volumes of devices is disclosed. To minimize cost, the substrateprocessing system is designed to accommodate smaller substrates, such asround substrates having diameters of 1-2 inches. Additionally, thecomponents of this substrate processing system are designed to bemodular and interchangeable, thereby further reducing cost andcomplexity. In certain embodiments, the substrate processing systemcomprises a lower assembly, which may be used with one or more upperassemblies. The lower assembly is used to support the substrate andprovide many of the fluid, electrical, and diagnostic connections, whilethe upper assemblies include the apparatus required to perform a certainfabrication function. For example, different upper assemblies may existfor deposition, etching, sputtering and ion implantation.

According to one aspect, a substrate processing system is disclosed. Thesystem comprises a lower assembly, comprising: a first predefinedinterface; a second predefined interface; and a vacuum port; a chuckassembly, adapted to hold a substrate and adapted to connect to thesecond predefined interface; and a plurality of upper assemblies, eachadapted to connect to the first predefined interface, and eachcomprising a different processing apparatus, wherein any one of theplurality of upper assemblies may be connected to the first predefinedinterface, so as to form a respective processing chamber surrounding thesubstrate, so that the processing apparatus associated with theconnected upper assembly may be used to process the substrate. In acertain embodiment, the first predefined interface comprises a firstflange disposed on the lower assembly and a corresponding second flangedisposed on each of the plurality of upper assemblies. In certainembodiments, wherein each of the plurality of upper assemblies comprisesa chamber head, a hollow cylindrical tube, and a bottom flange, whereinfasteners, disposed outside the hollow cylindrical tube, are used toconnect the chamber head, the hollow cylindrical tube and the bottomflange together. In some embodiments, the processing apparatus comprisesa helical coil disposed around the hollow cylindrical tube. In someembodiments, the processing apparatus comprises a planar coil disposedon the top flange. In some embodiments, wherein the processing apparatuscomprises a sputtering gun disposed within the processing chamber. Incertain embodiments, the second predefined interface comprises a vacuumfeedthrough.

According to a second aspect, a chuck assembly is disclosed. The chuckassembly comprises a feedthrough tube, having a first end extending tothe exterior of a processing chamber, and a second end, and having twofluid connections; a coupling plate, disposed at the second end of thefeedthrough tube, having two fluid feedthrough conduits in communicationwith the two fluid connections, an upper chuck piece, disposed adjacentto the coupling plate, and having internal conduits fabricated on anunderside of the upper chuck piece and in contact with a top surface ofthe coupling plate, an inlet and outlet of the internal conduits beingin communication with the two fluid feedthrough conduits; and a waferattachment mechanism disposed on a top surface of the upper chuck piece,such that the upper chuck piece is between the coupling plate and thewafer clamp. In certain embodiments, the chuck assembly furthercomprises an isolation and alignment block, having a hollow interior anddisposed at the second end of the feedthrough tube, wherein the couplingplate and the upper chuck piece are disposed within the hollow interiorof the isolation and alignment block. In some embodiments, the couplingplate comprises an electrical connection, and wherein the coupling plateis adapted to be in communication with a power source. In a furtherembodiment, the electrical connection exits the chuck assembly throughthe first end of the feedthrough tube. In some embodiments, the couplingplate contains one or more sensor connections, and wherein the couplingplate is adapted to be in communication with equipment interfacing withthese sensor connections. In some embodiments, the coupling platecomprises gas conduits, the upper chuck piece comprises gas passages,and further comprising a gas connection, adapted to connect to a heattransfer medium, such that the heat transfer medium can flow through thegas connection, the gas conduits and the gas passages to the top surfaceof the upper chuck piece. In certain embodiments, the wafer attachmentmechanism comprises a wafer clamp, having one or more apertures definesregion of a substrate to be processed, wherein the substrate is disposedbetween the top surface of the upper chuck piece and the wafer clamp. Incertain embodiments, the wafer attachment mechanism comprises a wafercarrier, the wafer carrier comprises a substrate holder and aninsulating clamp, wherein a substrate is disposed between the insulatingclamp and the substrate holder, and wherein the substrate holder isremovably attached to the upper chuck piece.

According to a third aspect, a method of processing a substrate isdisclosed. The method comprises disposing the substrate on a chuckassembly within a lower assembly of a processing chamber; attaching afirst upper assembly to the lower assembly; performing a first processon the substrate, where the first upper assembly is adapted to performthe first process; removing the first upper assembly from the lowerassembly; attaching a second upper assembly to the lower assembly; andperforming a second process on the substrate, different than the firstprocess, where the second upper assembly is adapted to perform thesecond process. In certain embodiments, the first and second processesare selected from the group consisting of etching, amorphizing,deposition, sputtering and ion implantation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

For a better understanding of the present disclosure, reference is madeto the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein by referenceand in which:

FIG. 1 shows a representative configuration for a substrate processingsystem according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 shows an upper assembly according to one embodiment;

FIG. 3 shows a lower assembly according to one embodiment;

FIG. 4 shows a chuck assembly according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5 shows an exploded view of the chuck assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 shows an exploded view of the chuck assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 shows an upper assembly according to one embodiment;

FIG. 8 shows an upper assembly having an adjustment mechanism;

FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of an upper assembly having a secondadjustment mechanism;

FIG. 10 shows an upper assembly according to another embodiment;

FIG. 11 shows an upper assembly according to another embodiment; and

FIGS. 12a-12b shows a top view and a bottom view, respectively, of awafer carrier assembly according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a substrate processing system 10. Thesubstrate processing system 10 comprises an upper assembly 100 and alower assembly 200. The upper assembly 100 and the lower assembly 200may be held together using fasteners or interlocking geometries thatconnect the bottom flange of the upper assembly 100 to the lowerassembly 200. A chuck assembly 300 is disposed within the lower assembly200.

As better seen in FIG. 2, the upper assembly 100 typically includes acylindrical tube 110, which may be made of an electrically insulatingmaterial, such as alumina. The interior of the cylindrical tube 110 ishollow and defines the upper portion of the processing chamber. The topend of the cylindrical tube 110 is attached to the chamber head 120using a sealing mechanism 111. The chamber head 120 includes a topflange 121. In certain embodiments, a sealing mechanism 111 is disposedbetween top of the cylindrical tube 110 and the top flange 121 to createan airtight seal. The bottom end of the cylindrical tube 110 is incommunication with a bottom flange 130. Unlike the top flange 121, thebottom flange 130 has a large central opening in its middle. The topflange 121 and the bottom flange 130 may be made of stainless steel,aluminum, nickel-plated brass or other suitable materials. In certainembodiments, a sealing mechanism 111 is disposed between bottom of thecylindrical tube 110 and the bottom flange 130 to create an airtightseal. In certain embodiments, the top flange 121 may have a plurality ofholes 122 spaced along its outer circumference. Similarly, the bottomflange 130 may have an equal number of corresponding threaded holes 131disposed therein. In certain embodiments, the chamber head 120, thecylindrical tube 110 and the bottom flange 130 are held together throughthe use of bolts 140. Each bolt 140 may pass through a hole 122 in thetop flange 121 and continue parallel to the cylindrical tube 110 to acorresponding threaded hole 131 in the bottom flange 130. As shown inFIG. 2, the top flange 121 and the bottom flange 130 have diametersgreater than that of the cylindrical tube 110. For example, the topflange 121 and the bottom flange 130 may have diameters of roughly 6inches and 6.25 inches, respectively, while the cylindrical tube 110 hasan outer diameter of roughly 3 inches. In this way, the bolts 140 thatconnect the top flange 121 and the bottom flange 130 may be disposed onthe outside of the cylindrical tube 110. In certain embodiments, eightbolts are used to secure the upper assembly 100 together, although otherembodiments are also possible and within the scope of the disclosure.

In some embodiments, the chamber head 120 may also include a gasfeedthrough that passes through the top flange 121. The gas feedthroughmay comprise a gas inlet 123 disposed in and passing through the topflange 121. The gas inlet 123 may be threaded and a threaded tubefitting 124 may be attached thereto, allowing a gas tube to be connectedto the threaded tube fitting 124. Of course, other mechanisms to pass aprocessing gas into the processing chamber may also be used. The use ofa threaded tube fitting 124 that passes through a gas inlet 123 in thetop flange 121 is only one possible embodiment.

Disposed within the processing chamber and in communication with the gasinlet 123 may be a gas showerhead 425 (see FIG. 9). The gas showerhead425, which may be made of stainless steel, aluminum, nickel-plated brassor other suitable materials, may be attached to the underside of the topflange 121 using fasteners or interlocking geometry and serves todistribute the processing gas more uniformly throughout the processingchamber. In certain embodiments, the gas showerhead 425 resembles atraditional showerhead, having an inlet on one side (nearest the topflange 121) and a plurality of smaller outlets disposed on the oppositeside (facing the processing chamber). The plurality of smaller outletsis arranged in a pattern to achieve an optimized flow of processing gasinto the processing chamber. In certain embodiments, the gas showerhead425 may be used to generate a spatially uniform flow of processing gasin the processing chamber.

In certain embodiments, the top flange 121 also comprises a centralutility port 129. In certain embodiments, the central utility port 129is used to introduce a diagnostic tool, such as a Langmuir probe or anoptical diagnostic tool, such as a spectrometer. In other embodiments,the central utility port 129 may be configured as a viewport lookinginto the processing chamber.

The upper assembly 100 may also include one or more processing apparatus150, which may be disposed outside the processing chamber. In certainembodiments, all or part of the processing apparatus 150 may be disposedwithin the processing chamber, such as in the case of a sputtering gun(see FIG. 10). The various processing apparatus 150 will be described inmore detail below.

In certain embodiments, the upper assembly 100 may be about 9 inchestall and have an outer diameter of about 6.25 inches. In otherembodiments, the dimensions of the upper assembly 100 may vary to betteraccommodate the desired processing function.

FIG. 3 shows a representative view of a lower assembly 200. The lowerassembly is used to support the upper assembly 100, and also houses thevarious pumps and the chuck assembly.

The lower assembly 200 comprises a platform 210. The platform 210 maycomprise a plurality of supports 211 which maintain separation betweenthe top of the platform 210 and the underlying surface. The platform 210may also be formed by an aperture and connection holes in a largersurface such as a table. A flange 220 may be disposed on the top surfaceof the platform 210. The flange 220 has a large central opening. Theflange 220 may also have connection holes 221 therethrough, which alignto the connection holes 133 in the bottom flange 130 of the upperassembly 100 (see FIG. 2). In certain embodiments, there is a knifeedge-based (CF-style) seal between bottom flange 130 and flange 220. Itseals by having a metal or elastomeric gasket sitting betweensymmetrical knife edges cut into bottom flange 130 and flange 220. Thegasket forms an airtight seal between these knife edges. The sealingforces come from the weight of the upper assembly 100 and the inducedforce from the pressure difference between vacuum in the chamber and theatmospheric pressure outside.

A lower chamber flange manifold 230 may be disposed beneath and attachedto the underside of the top surface of the platform 210. The lowerchamber flange manifold 230 may be a hollow structure, where the topsurface of the structure is attached to the underside of the top surfaceof the platform 210. The bottom surface of the structure is open. A pumpport 240 may be in communication with the lower chamber flange manifold230. In certain embodiments, the pump port 240 may be disposed along asidewall of the structure. Vacuum pumping and pressure control equipment(not shown) may be attached to the pump port 240 to maintain theprocessing chamber at the desired pressures for operation, when theupper assembly 100 and chuck assembly 300 are attached to the lowerassembly 200. A sample transfer flange 260 may also be in communicationwith the lower chamber flange manifold 230, such as on a secondsidewall. Sample transfer apparatus (not shown), such a vacuum load locksystem (including components such as a gate valve, a sample loadingdoor, a vacuum port, and a linear and/or rotary motion vacuumfeedthrough), may be attached to this sample transfer flange 260 toallow substrates to be loaded and unloaded from the chuck assembly 300while maintaining vacuum pressures. In certain instances, this may be adesirable characteristic for many different micro- and nanofabricationprocesses.

Disposed within the bottom flange 250 is a vacuum feedthrough 270. Asdescribed in more detail below, a chuck assembly 300 may be inserted inthe lower assembly 200 and is held in place by vacuum feedthrough 270.In certain embodiments, the vacuum feedthrough 270 includes multiplelevels of airtight seals that allow for translational and rotationalmotion of the chuck assembly 300 through the vacuum feedthrough 270while maintaining full airtightness.

FIG. 4 shows an assembled view of a chuck assembly 300 according to oneembodiment. FIGS. 5-6 show exploded views of the upper portion of thechuck assembly 300 of FIG. 4. The chuck assembly 300 may be used withdifferent wafer attachment mechanisms. FIG. 4 shows a wafer clamp 350and a wafer carrier 360 as being interchangeable wafer attachmentmechanisms. The chuck assembly 300 of FIGS. 5-6 shows the wafer clamp350. The wafer carrier is illustrated in greater detail in FIGS. 12a -12b.

The chuck assembly 300 comprises a feedthrough tube 310. The connectionsto the chuck, including electrical conduit 337 and fluid connections334, communicate through the feedthrough tube 310. The bottom open endof the feedthrough tube 310 extends downward from the vacuum feedthrough270 (see FIG. 1) and is exposed to the exterior of the substrateprocessing system 10. The top end of the feedthrough tube 310 is incommunication with an isolation and alignment block 320. The isolationand alignment block 320 may be constructed of an electrically insulatingmaterial, such as polyether ether ketone (PEEK), polyimide, or alumina.The isolation and alignment block 320 serves to enclose and protect theinternal connections to the chuck. The isolation and alignment block 320may be cylindrical with an interior flange 321 and a hollow interior.This interior flange 321 rests on a flange on the top surface of thefeedthrough tube 310. The interior flange 321 may have along itscircumference a plurality of connection holes 327 and 329, where theconnection holes 327 are on the bottom face (321 b) of the interiorflange 321, and the connection holes 329 are on the top face (321 a) ofthe interior flange 321. These connection holes 327 and 329 may becommunication with one another. The feedthrough tube 310 may haveconnection holes 317 that connect with fasteners to the connection holes327 on the bottom face 321 b of the interior flange 321. O-ring grooves322 a, 322 b may be included on both the top face 321 a and bottom face321 b, respectively, of the interior flange 321 to provide an airtightseal between the interior region of the chuck assembly 300 and theprocessing chamber. Other embodiments may include additional sealsinside of the O-ring grooves 322 a, 322 b to isolate fluids and otherconnections from one another and the processing chamber.

Disposed within the hollow interior of the isolation and alignment block320 and above the interior flange 321 may be a coupling plate 330 and anupper chuck piece 340. In certain embodiments, the coupling plate 330may comprise at least one electrical connection, which allows anelectrical signal to be applied to the coupling plate 330. In certainembodiments, a connector 331, such as an SMA connector, is disposed onthe interior flange 321 and provides an electrical connection with thecoupling plate 330. The connector 331 may be attached to an externalpower supply (not shown) via an electrical conduit 337 so as to apply anelectrical signal to the coupling plate 330. In certain embodiments, theelectrical signal may be a time-varying, or RF voltage. In otherembodiments, the electrical signal may be a constant or pulsed DCvoltage. The coupling plate 330 may be constructed of an electricallyconductive material, such as aluminum. The coupling plate 330 may reston the interior flange 321 of the isolation and alignment block 320,which in turn rests on the flange on the top surface of the feedthroughtube 310. The coupling plate 330 may have a plurality of connectionholes 339 around its circumference. These connection holes 339 may bearranged to match with connection holes 349 and 329 found on the upperchuck piece 340 and the isolation and alignment block 320, respectively.These matched connection holes 329, 339, 349 allow the three componentsto be connected to one another via fasteners.

Disposed on the coupling plate 330 is the upper chuck piece 340. Theupper chuck piece may include one or more internal conduits 341 throughwhich a fluid, such as water, may pass. These internal conduits 341 maybe in communication with fluid feedthrough conduits 333 in the couplingplate 330, which in turn, are in communication with fluid connections334. These internal conduits 341 are fabricated into the underside ofthe upper chuck piece 340, so as to be exposed on the underside of theupper chuck piece 340. These internal conduits 341 may exist in a dualspiral configuration, such that an inlet channel is disposed adjacent toan outlet channel. The upper chuck piece 340 is then attached to thecoupling plate 330, such that the top surface of the coupling plate 330forms a wall of internal conduits 341. An O-ring (not shown) may bedisposed in the O-ring recess 342 between the upper chuck piece 340 andthe coupling plate 330. A fluid, such as water, may be pumped into oneof fluid connections 334, travel through a first of the fluidfeedthrough conduits 333 in the coupling plate 330 and circulate throughthe internal conduits 341 of the upper chuck piece 340. The water thenexits the internal conduits 341 of the upper chuck piece 340, passesthrough a second of the fluid feedthrough conduits 333 in the couplingplate 330 and passes into the second of the fluid connections 334. Likethe coupling plate 330, the upper chuck piece 340 may be constructed ofa conductive metal, such as aluminum. Also disposed within the chuckassembly 300 may be additional conduits that provide other connectionsneeded for a particular application. Shown in FIGS. 4-6 is the gasconnection 336, which is used to provide a heat transfer medium, suchas, for example, helium or another gas, to the volume between thesubstrate and the upper chuck piece 340. Also shown in FIGS. 4-6 is thesensor connection 335, which may be used to monitor differentcharacteristics of the chuck assembly 300, such as the temperature orthe DC potential. These connections and the associated conduits passingthrough one or more pieces of the chuck assembly 300 (e.g. the isolationand alignment block 320, the coupling plate 330, and the upper chuckpiece 340) may require additional part geometry or seals to provideappropriate isolation from the other connections. This additionalgeometry or seals may be readily determined and understood by a personof ordinary skill in the art.

Like the coupling plate 330, the upper chuck piece 340 may compriseconnection holes 349 disposed along its circumference. In the embodimentshown in FIGS. 5-6, the connection holes 329 in the isolation andalignment block 320 may be threaded so that fasteners may be insertedthrough both the connection holes 349 in the upper chuck piece 340 andthe connection holes 339 in the coupling plate 330, to secure the threecomponents (isolation and alignment block 320, coupling plate 330, andupper chuck piece 340) together. In some embodiments, the upper chuckpiece 340 and the coupling plate 330 are also independently securedtogether with fasteners or interlocking geometry.

In one particular embodiment of the chuck assembly shown in FIGS. 5-6, agas passage 345 may be disposed in the upper chuck piece 340. Gasconduits 332 may exist in the coupling plate 330 to allow communicationbetween the gas connection 336 and the gas passage 345. In this way, asource of gas, such as, for example, helium, may be connected to gasconnection 336. This gas then flows through the gas connection 336 tothe gas conduits 332 in the coupling plate 330. The gas travels throughthe gas conduits 332 and into the gas passage 345 in the upper chuckpiece 340. The gas then exits the top surface of the upper chuck piece340.

A wafer attachment mechanism is then disposed on top of the upper chuckpiece 340. In certain embodiments, such as is shown in FIGS. 5-6,disposed on top of the upper chuck piece 340 may be a wafer clamp 350.This wafer clamp 350 may be constructed of an electrically insulatingmaterial, such as alumina. The wafer clamp 350 may be secured to theupper chuck piece 340 using fasteners via matching connection holes 358and 348 on the wafer clamp 350 and the upper chuck piece 340,respectively. The wafer clamp 350 may contain one or more apertures 351that define particular areas of the substrate that will be exposed tothe processing environment. During operation, the substrate restsbetween the wafer clamp 350 and the upper chuck piece 340. An O-ringrecess 343 may be disposed on the top surface of the upper chuck piece340 to provide an airtight seal between the substrate and upper chuckpiece 340. This seal may prevent any fluids flowed through conduitsextending through the upper chuck piece 340 from communicating with thegreater processing chamber. For example, in certain embodiments, a gasis flowed to the volume between the substrate and the upper chuck piece340 (through gas passage 345) to serve as a heat transfer medium. Ashallower alignment recess 344 may also be disposed on the top surfaceof the upper chuck piece 340 to provide spatial registration for thesubstrate.

In another embodiment, shown in FIGS. 12a-12b , a wafer carrier 360 maybe disposed on top of the upper chuck piece 340. FIG. 12a shows a topview, while FIG. 12b shows a bottom view of the wafer carrier 360. Thiswafer carrier 360 may include a substrate holder 370 and an insulatingclamp 361 to secure the substrate 380 to the carrier and may contain oneor more apertures 362 to define particular areas of the substrate 380that will be exposed to the processing environment. The insulating clamp361 may be secured to the substrate holder 370 using fasteners viamatching connection holes 368 and 378. An O-ring recess 373 provides anairtight seal between the underside of the substrate 380 and thesubstrate holder 370. The wafer carrier 360 may also include a fasteningand sealing mechanism 376 and 377 to removably couple to the upper chuckpiece 340 in an airtight manner. For example, the wafer carrier may cliponto the upper chuck piece 340. In other embodiments, the upper chuckpiece 340 and the substrate holder 370 may comprise threads, such thatthe substrate holder 370 may be screwed onto the upper chuck piece 340.In the airtight region inside of the sealing mechanism 377, one or moreconduits 375 a, 375 b may be included to interface with connectionspassing through the upper chuck piece 340. In one particular embodimentof the chuck assembly shown in FIGS. 5-6, the gas passage 345 in theupper chuck piece 340 may interface with the conduits 375 a, 375 b toprovide the volume between the substrate holder 370 and the substrate380 with a connection to the gas provided through gas connection 336.The wafer carrier 360 may also include geometry or connection holes 371that allow it to be easily captured by a sample transfer mechanism. Thissample transfer mechanism may originate from a sample transfer assembly(such as a load lock system) that is attached to the system through thesample transfer flange 260.

To create the substrate processing system, the assembled chuck assembly300 may be installed in the lower assembly 200 by sliding the chuckassembly through the flange 220 and through the vacuum feedthrough 270.As described above, several connections may exit through the open bottomend of the feedthrough tube 310. After the chuck assembly 300 has beenattached to the lower assembly 200, the upper assembly 100 may be placedin the lower assembly 200. Geometry on the underside of flange 130 ortop side of flange 220 may be used to spatially align the upper andlower assembly to one another. Fasteners may be used to secure thebottom flange 130 of the upper assembly 100 and the flange 220 of thelower assembly 200 to the platform 210.

A power supply may then be connected to the connector 331 via electricalconduit 337, fluid sources may be connected to fluid connections 334,gas connections 336, and tube fitting 124 and instrumentation may beconnected to sensor connection 335. Vacuum pumping and pressure controlequipment (not shown) may be attached to the pump port 240 to maintainthe processing chamber at the desired pressures for operation. A sampletransfer assembly (not shown) may then be attached to the sampletransfer flange 260. Suitable connections may then be made to theprocessing apparatus 150 of the upper assembly 100. After completion ofthis assembly process, the substrate processing system 10 is ready foroperation.

As is well known in the art, there are many different processes that maybe performed on a substrate in a vacuum chamber such as the onedescribed above. These include ion implantation, etching, deposition,sputtering, amorphization, and others. Additionally, these processes mayrequire different configurations. For example, in certain embodiments,the substrate or processing chamber may be heated. In other embodiments,the substrate or processing chamber may be cooled. In certainembodiments, a pulsed bias voltage may be applied to the substrate. Inother embodiments, an RF bias voltage may be applied to the substrate.In yet other embodiments, it may be advantageous to rotate the substrateduring processing. In yet other embodiments, it may be beneficial tomonitor one or more parameter on the substrate or within the processingchamber during processing.

Advantageously, the present substrate processing system 10 comprises aplurality of modular, interchangeable parts enabling all of theseprocesses to be performed, at a plurality of different operatingconditions.

First, the chuck assembly 300, as described above, may include acoupling plate 330 and an upper chuck piece 340. In the embodiment shownin FIGS. 4-6, the coupling plate 330 is electrically connected to aconnector 331 using an electrical conduit to allow electrical signals tobe applied to it. These electrical signals may be pulsed DC voltages,time varying or RF voltages, or any other suitable voltage. The upperchuck piece 340 has internal conduits 341 to allow the circulation of afluid. In certain embodiments, this is done using water to cool thesubstrate. However, if desired, a colder fluid, shown as coolednitrogen, may be flowed through the internal conduits 341 to furtherreduce the temperature of the substrate. In certain embodiments, thecoupling plate 330 also has gas conduits 332 to allow a heat transfermedium to communicate with the underside of the substrate. In theseembodiments, the upper chuck piece 340 comprises gas passages 345 toallow a heat transfer medium to communicate with the underside of thesubstrate. Further, different wafer attachment mechanisms may be used.For example, in certain embodiments, the substrate may be attacheddirectly to the top surface of the upper chuck piece 340 using a waferclamp 350. In certain embodiments, the wafer is disposed within a wafercarrier 360. This wafer carrier is then disposed on top of the upperchuck piece 340.

Further, in certain embodiments, the upper chuck piece 340 and couplingplate 330 of FIGS. 4-6 may be replaced with a set of differentcomponents, which includes resistive heaters disposed therein. In thisembodiment, the fluid connections 334 may be replaced with one or moreelectrical connections, which provide the power to actuate the resistiveheaters within the upper chuck piece 340. These resistive heaters mayallow the substrate to be heated to several hundred degrees (C.).

Thus, in certain embodiments, the power supply used to power thecoupling plate 330 may be changed to accommodate different operatingparameters. In certain embodiments, the fluid passed through theinternal conduits 341 of the upper chuck piece 340 may be varied tochange the temperature of the substrate during processing. In certainembodiments, a heat transfer medium may be supplied to the volumebetween the underside of the substrate and the upper chuck piece 340. Inyet other embodiments, the upper chuck piece 340 and coupling plate 330may be exchanged for an interchangeable part that replaces the internalconduits 341 with resistive heaters. In certain embodiments, parameters,such as temperature, DC potential, pressure, or others, may be monitoredusing the sensor connection 335.

In certain embodiments, the chuck assembly 300 may also include a rotaryactuator, which allows the substrate to rotate as it is being processed.

Further, in certain embodiments, the feedthrough tube 310 may besufficiently long so as to allow adjustment of the height of thesubstrate within the processing chamber. For example, by varying wherethe feedthrough tube 310 sits relative to the vacuum feedthrough 270,the total height of the chuck assembly 300 within the lower assembly 200may be adjusted. Thus, the position of the substrate within theprocessing chamber can also be easily adjusted, based on desired processconditions. In certain embodiments, the ability to vary the height ofthe chuck assembly 300 within the lower assembly 200 may also enableloading and unloading of substrates via the sample transfer flange 260.When coupled with an appropriate sample transfer assembly (such as aload lock system), the top of the chuck assembly 300 may be adjusted toa height near the middle of the sample transfer flange 260, andmechanisms included in the sample transfer assembly (such as a linearand/or rotary motion vacuum feedthrough) may load and unload a wafercarrier 360. The height of the chuck assembly may then be readjusted tocontinue with the next step of the processing sequence.

Additionally, the present substrate processing system 10 allows the useof different upper assemblies 100, each of which may be configured for aspecific purpose. FIG. 7 shows a first embodiment of an upper assembly,similar to the one shown in FIG. 1. This upper assembly may be referredto as an etching upper assembly 400. In this configuration, the etchingupper assembly 400 includes a chamber head 420, which comprises a topflange 421, which includes a central utility port 429 and a threadedtube fitting 424. The central utility port 429 may be used to introducea diagnostic tool or as a viewport. The etching upper assembly 400 alsoincludes a hollow cylindrical tube 410, which is made of an electricallyinsulating material, such as alumina. A bottom flange 430 is alsoprovided, and bolts 440 are used to hold together the chamber head 420,the cylindrical tube 410 and the bottom flange 430, as described withreference to FIG. 2. The top flange 421 and bottom flange 430 may bemetal components, such as stainless steel.

In this embodiment, a helical coil 450, made of a conductive material,is disposed around the outside of the cylindrical tube 410. While FIG. 7shows two rotations of the helical coil 450 about the cylindrical tube410, the disclosure is not limited to this configuration. Any number ofrotations may be employed.

A power supply (not shown) is in communication with this helical coil450. The power supply may supply an RF voltage to the helical coil 450,which may be used to inductively couple energy into the processingchamber. This inductively coupled energy causes the gas that isintroduced through the threaded tube fitting 424 to become a plasma.

In certain embodiments, the helical coil 450 may be translated verticalalong the cylindrical tube 410. For example, the helical coil 450 may bemovably attached to one or more of the bolts 440, such that the helicalcoil 450 may be moved by adjustment of the attachment point to the bolts440. FIG. 8 shows an embodiment where the helical coil 450 may be movedvertically along the outside of the cylindrical tube 410. The arrow 498shows the axis of motion for the helical coil 450. The position of thehelical coil 450 may be controlled by a coil connecting assembly 451.This coil connecting assembly 451 may be secured to the etching upperassembly 400 using one or more of the bolts 440 that connect thecylindrical tube 410, top flange 421, and bottom flange 430. One or morecoil connections 452 may also be included on the coil connectingassembly 451 to better facilitate the connection of power sources and/orother cooling, measurement, or sensing apparatus necessary for theparticular process being performed.

The chamber head 420 may also comprise a gas showerhead 425, which is incommunication with the gas connection that passes through the threadedtube fitting 424. In certain embodiments, the gas showerhead 425 isdirectly connected to the underside of the top flange 421. In otherembodiments, the gas showerhead 425 may also be vertically translatedwithin the cylindrical tube 410 by moving a straight tube 426 incommunication with the gas showerhead 425 through the tube fitting 424,as shown by arrow 499 in FIG. 9. For example, in certain embodiments, itmay be beneficial to introduce the gas a distance away from thesubstrate. In these embodiments, the gas showerhead 425 may be disposednear the top flange 421. In other embodiments, there may be advantagesto introducing the gas closer to the substrate. In these embodiments,the gas showerhead 425 may be moved further from the top flange 421. Asthe helical coil 450 may also be vertically translated, a coordinatedpositioning of the gas showerhead 425 and the helical coil 450 may beused to optimize the process to be performed on the substrate.

While the upper assembly of FIG. 7 is referred to as an etching upperassembly, if is noted that other processes may also be performed withthis upper assembly. For example, in certain embodiments, deposition orion implantation may be performed using this upper assembly. Forexample, the selection of the gas that is introduced into the processingchamber may cause the substrate to be etched. However, selecting adifferent gas may cause deposition. Further, the application of avoltage to the coupling plate 330 may accelerate ions toward thesubstrate, causing implantation.

FIG. 10 shows a second embodiment of an upper assembly that may be usedwith the lower assembly shown in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, the upperassembly is used as a sputtering upper assembly 500. The sputteringupper assembly 500 includes a chamber head 520, which comprises a topflange 521 and a sputtering gun 550. The chamber head 520 may alsoinclude a gas inlet 523 and fitting 524 that may allow process gas intothe chamber. An airtight connecting port 551 is disposed on the topflange 521 and is in communication with the sputtering gun 550. Thisairtight connecting port 551 may be used to provide any power and/orcontrol signals required to operate the sputtering gun 550. Like theother embodiments, the sputtering upper assembly 500 also comprises ahollow cylindrical tube 510 and a bottom flange 530. As with otherembodiments, the cylindrical tube 510 may be an electrically material,such as alumina. Further, the chamber head 520, the cylindrical tube 510and the bottom flange 530 may be connected using bolts 540, as describedin the previous embodiments. This sputtering upper assembly 500 may beused to deposit metals and insulators on a substrate.

FIG. 11 shows another embodiment of an upper assembly that may be usedwith the lower assembly shown in FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the upperassembly is used as a deposition upper assembly 600. The depositionupper assembly 600 includes a chamber head 620. Unlike other upperassemblies, the top flange 621 of the chamber head 620 may be entirelyor partially constructed from a dielectric material. Disposed on thedielectric portion of the top flange 621 is a planar coil 650, which maybe circularly wound. This planar coil 650 may be in connection with apower supply (not shown), which provides a RF voltage to the planar coil650. Like the embodiment of FIG. 7, this RF voltage induces energywithin the processing chamber, which is transmitted through the chamberhead 620. The deposition upper assembly 600 also includes a hollowcylindrical tube 610, which is disposed between the chamber head 620 andthe bottom flange 630. As with the other embodiments, bolts 640 may beused to attach these components. In this embodiment, the energy iscoupled through the top of the processing chamber. Consequently, in someembodiments, the deposition upper assembly 600 may be shorter in heightthan other upper assemblies so that the coupled energy is near thesubstrate. Although not shown, the deposition upper assembly 600 alsocomprises a gas inlet to allow the introduction of gas to the processingchamber. This gas inlet may be disposed on the top flange 621.

Each of the upper assemblies described herein share a common attribute,which is the bottom flange 430, 530, 630. This bottom flange isdimensioned to interface with the flange 220 of the lower assembly 200and provide an airtight seal between the two assemblies. In other words,this bottom flange serves as a standard interface that is used by allupper assemblies.

Further, as described above, the bottom flange of the upper assembliesand the flange 220 of the lower assembly 200 all have a central openingpassing therethrough. Consequently, the top portion of the processingchamber, which is defined by the top flange and cylindrical tube of theupper assembly, is in communication with the bottom portion of theprocessing chamber, which includes the chuck. The size of the centralopening in these flanges may vary, however, in most embodiments, it maybe at least as wide as the diameter of the top portion of the chuckassembly 300.

Further, FIG. 1 shows the chuck assembly extending above the top of theflange 220 and extending into the top portion of the processing chamber.In this way, the substrate is disposed above the interface between theupper assembly and the lower assembly, such that the fabricationprocesses occur within the processing chamber defined by the cylindricaltube. However, in other embodiments, the chuck assembly 300 may befurther recessed in the lower assembly 200, such that the substrate isdisposed below the interface between the upper assembly and the lowerassembly. In yet other embodiments, the substrate may be elevated to becloser to the chamber head. These adjustments can be made by varyingwhere the feedthrough tube 310 is attached to the vacuum feedthrough270.

The disclosure describes a substrate processing system, specificallydesigned to handle smaller sized substrates. Advantageously, the systemis designed with modular, interchangeable parts, allowing a number ofdifferent substrate processing processes to be performed using the sameset of components.

More specifically, the lower assembly 200 may be considered universal,in that it may be used with a variety of different chuck assemblies andupper assemblies. The lower assembly provides a platform 210, a pumpport 240 to allow the evacuation of air from the assembled system and,optionally, a sample transfer flange 260 that allows for loading andunloading of substrate while maintaining vacuum pressures. Additionally,the lower assembly includes a predetermined interface, which in theseembodiments, comprises a flange, namely the flange 220. All of thevarious upper assemblies attach to the lower assembly 200 using thispredetermined interface. Therefore, as long as each upper assemblyincludes the requisite interface (i.e. a flange adapted to mate with theflange 220), it may be used with the lower assembly 200.

Furthermore, the lower assembly 200 includes a vacuum feedthrough 270,which can be used to receive a chuck assembly. Again, as long as a chuckassembly includes a feedthrough tube 310 having the requisite diameter,it may be installed in the vacuum feedthrough 270 and used with thelower assembly 200.

Thus, the lower assembly 200 defines two predefined interfaces: a firstinterface for all upper assemblies and a second interface for all chuckassemblies. In certain embodiments, a third standard interface forsample transfer mechanisms is also provided. By providing these standardinterfaces, a plurality of different fabrication tools may be createdusing this single lower assembly.

The upper assemblies all share a common predefined interface, which isthe bottom flange. By providing this common predefined interface, newupper assemblies can readily be created which can utilize the same lowerassembly, reducing space and cost requirements. For example, it may belater determined that an upper assembly that provides both a helicalcoil (as shown in FIG. 7) and a planar coil (as shown in FIG. 11) may bebeneficial, or that additional apparatus, such as magnets, may be addedto an upper assembly to provide additional functionality or performanceimprovements. In another example, multiple similar or identical upperassemblies may be used to perform similar or identical processes but onsubstrates with differing material compositions or initial conditions.Thus, a level of isolation may be achieved that may reduce undesirablecross-contamination between upper assemblies. This is often a majorconcern in both development and production of micro- and nanoscaledevices. Upper assemblies such as these can be readily adapted to thepresent system simply by utilizing the same bottom flange as the otherupper assemblies.

Further, while all of the upper assemblies described here include ahollow cylindrical tube and a chamber head, which are all secured to thebottom flange using bolts, this is not necessary for all embodiments.For example, the upper assembly may have a shape that is different thana cylinder, as long as the bottom flange of the upper assembly matchesthat used on the lower assembly.

As noted above, the lower assembly 200 also provides a standardinterface for chuck assemblies. In other words, completely differentchuck assemblies 300 may be used with the lower assembly 200, as long asthey share an appropriately sized feedthrough tube 310. Similarly, thesample transfer flange 260 may be used with different sample transferassemblies, or even other assemblies containing such things asadditional diagnostic or measurement instrumentation, as long as theyterminate with an interface that matches the sample transfer flange 260.

Further, as described with respect to FIGS. 4-6, various componentswithin the chuck assembly 300 may be interchanged. For example, theupper chuck piece 340 and the coupling plate 330 may be replaced withsimilarly sized components having somewhat different functions. As anexample, the upper chuck piece 340, which includes internal conduits toallow the flow of water, allowing the substrate to be cooled, may bereplaced with a different chuck that includes internal resistive heaterswith heat the substrate.

The substrate processing system described herein facilitates theprocessing of devices on a substrate. For example, in one embodiment, asubstrate may be disposed on a chuck assembly, using with the waferclamp or the wafer carrier. The chuck assembly is disposed within thelower assembly, as described above. A first upper assembly is thenattached to the lower assembly. Vacuum is created within the processingchamber, and a first process may be performed on the substrate. Thisfirst process may be, for example, an etching, amorphizing, deposition,sputtering, ion implantation, or another process. After the firstprocess has been performed, the first upper assembly may be removed andreplaced with a second upper assembly, which is disposed on the samelower assembly. Vacuum is created within the processing chamber, and asecond process may be performed on the substrate. This second processmay be, for example, any of the processes listed above. This sequencemay be repeated for an arbitrary number of processes using any number ofupper assemblies. Thus, unlike conventional systems, where the substrateis moved to different specialized chambers, the present processingsystem allows the substrate to remain within the lower assembly, whiledifferent upper assemblies are clamped thereon, allowing differentprocesses to be performed without moving the substrate to anotherchamber.

The present disclosure is not to be limited in scope by the specificembodiments described herein. Indeed, other various embodiments of andmodifications to the present disclosure, in addition to those describedherein, will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from theforegoing description and accompanying drawings. Thus, such otherembodiments and modifications are intended to fall within the scope ofthe present disclosure. Furthermore, although the present disclosure hasbeen described herein in the context of a particular implementation in aparticular environment for a particular purpose, those of ordinary skillin the art will recognize that its usefulness is not limited thereto andthat the present disclosure may be beneficially implemented in anynumber of environments for any number of purposes. Accordingly, theclaims set forth below should be construed in view of the full breadthand spirit of the present disclosure as described herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for processing of micro- and nanoscaledevices, comprising: a lower assembly, comprising: a flange; a vacuumfeedthrough; a chuck assembly, adapted to hold a substrate and adaptedto connect to the vacuum feedthrough; and a plurality of upperassemblies, each adapted to connect to the first predefined interface,wherein each of the plurality of upper assemblies comprises: a hollowtube; a chamber head comprising a top flange sealed to a first end ofthe hollow tube; and a bottom flange, having a central opening, disposedat a second end of the hollow tube; wherein each of the plurality ofupper assemblies comprises a different processing apparatus, wherein thebottom flange of any one of the plurality of upper assemblies may beconnected to the flange of the lower assembly to provide an air-tightseal, so as to form a respective processing chamber surrounding thesubstrate, so that the processing apparatus associated with theconnected upper assembly may be used to process the substrate.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein fasteners, disposed outside the hollow tube,are used to connect the chamber head, the hollow tube and the bottomflange together.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein one of the pluralityof upper assemblies comprises a helical coil disposed around the hollowtube.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the helical coil is held by acoil connecting assembly, and the coil connecting assembly is secured tothe upper assembly using the fasteners.
 5. The system of claim 4,wherein the helical coil is configured to be translated vertically alongthe hollow tube.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the pluralityof upper assemblies comprises a planar coil disposed on the top flange.7. The system of claim 6, wherein the top flange is entirely orpartially constructed from a dielectric material.
 8. The system of claim1, wherein the chamber head of one of the upper assemblies comprises asputtering gun disposed within the processing chamber.
 9. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the chuck assembly comprises a feedthrough tube, whichis insertable into the vacuum feedthrough.
 10. The system of claim 1,wherein the lower assembly further comprises an interface adapted toconnect to a sample transfer mechanism.
 11. The system of claim 1,further comprising a chuck assembly, comprising: a feedthrough tube,having a first end extending to an exterior of a processing chamber, anda second end, and having at least one fluid connection; a couplingplate, disposed at the second end of the feedthrough tube, having atleast one fluid feedthrough conduit in communication with the at leastone fluid connection, an upper chuck piece, disposed adjacent to thecoupling plate, and having at least one internal conduit fabricated onan underside of the upper chuck piece and in contact with a top surfaceof the coupling plate, the at least one internal conduit being incommunication with the at least one fluid feedthrough conduit; and awafer attachment mechanism disposed on a top surface of the upper chuckpiece, such that the upper chuck piece is between the coupling plate andthe wafer clamp.
 12. The system of claim 11, further comprising anisolation and alignment block, having a hollow interior and disposed atthe second end of the feedthrough tube, wherein the coupling plate andthe upper chuck piece are disposed within the hollow interior of theisolation and alignment block.
 13. The system of claim 11, wherein thecoupling plate comprises an electrical connection, and wherein thecoupling plate is adapted to be in communication with a power source.14. The system of claim 13, wherein the electrical connection exits thechuck assembly through the first end of the feedthrough tube.
 15. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein the coupling plate contains one or moresensor connections, and wherein the coupling plate is adapted to be incommunication with equipment interfacing with these sensor connections.16. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one fluid feedthroughconduit in the coupling plate comprises gas conduits, the at least oneinternal conduit in the upper chuck piece comprises gas passages, andwherein the at least one fluid connection in the feedthrough tubecomprises a gas connection, adapted to connect to a heat transfermedium, such that the heat transfer medium can flow through the gasconnection, the gas conduits and the gas passages to the top surface ofthe upper chuck piece.
 17. The system of claim 11, wherein the waferattachment mechanism comprises a wafer clamp, having one or moreapertures defines region of a substrate to be processed, wherein thesubstrate is disposed between the top surface of the upper chuck pieceand the wafer clamp.
 18. The system of claim 11, wherein the waferattachment mechanism comprises a wafer carrier, the wafer carriercomprises a substrate holder and an insulating clamp, wherein asubstrate is disposed between the insulating clamp and the substrateholder, and wherein the substrate holder is removably attached to theupper chuck piece.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least onefluid feedthrough conduit in the coupling plate comprises gas conduits,the at least one internal conduit in the upper chuck piece comprises gaspassages, the substrate holder comprises conduits, and wherein the atleast one fluid connection in the feedthrough tube comprises a gasconnection, adapted to connect to a heat transfer medium, such that theheat transfer medium can flow through the gas connection, the gasconduits of the coupling plate, the gas passages of the upper chuckpiece and the conduits of the substrate holder to a top surface of thesubstrate holder.